Lideta Mercato / XV Studio

XV Studio unveils the design of a project of a multistory market, Lideta Mercato, in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa. This project was the result of a winning entry of a pre-qualified competition that is planned to start construction in May 2011.

More on this project after the break.

The new market is located in an area currently under development in Addis Ababa. The surrounding buildings under construction define a very dense neighborhood based on middle rise residential buildings and a car-based street system. The project is a simple volume that is carved to create an interior world in a multistory contemporary building based on the traditional market principles. The diagonal void connects the two parallel streets and intersects the inclined atrium where the entrance and connections through the levels occur.

The inclined void creates a variety of circulation and organization of the shops in each floor and reinforces the idea of continuity from the ground floor to the roof. The building is an open air space enclosed by a perforated concrete sheet that allows ventilation and natural illumination and protects from the sun and the rain. The fractal pattern of the façade is derived from the patterns used in traditional Ethiopian dresses; it provides a filter of light and views from the inside and an attraction for people from the outside.

The roof contains gathering and recreational areas, a new urban oasis protected from the rain and the sun. The circular porches and the roof collect the water from the rain to be processed and reused for sanitation. The porches also hold a network of photovoltaic panels that produce and store electrical energy for the interior and illuminate up the façade at night.